1

When used in a statute, in a will or in any other written instrument prescribing the devolution of property rights and unless the statute, the will or the instrument expressly or impliedly declares otherwise, the terms 'heirs', or 'heirs at law', 'next of kin' and 'distributees' and any terms of like import shall be construed to mean the distributees, including a surviving spouse, who are defined in section 84 of the title.